Joe Hawley re-signs with Falcons

Posted by Josh Alper on March 11, 2014, 4:03 PM EST

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The Falcons are reportedly set to add guard Jon Asamoah as a free agent once they are allowed to officially sign deals.

If they do, it looks like Asamoah will be lining up next to center Joe Hawley. Adam Caplan of ESPN reports that the Falcons have re-signed Hawley to a two-year deal just ahead of Tuesday afternoon’s opening of the free agent market.

Hawley started the final seven games at center for the Falcons last season and outperformed previous starter Peter Konz by a noticeable margin. All 12 games of Hawley’s starting experience before last season came during the 2011 campaign and he has also played guard since joining the team as a fourth-round pick in 2010.

Asamoah’s arrival and Hawley’s retention are two steps toward building a more effective offensive line than Atlanta had at their disposal last season. More are expected after owner Arthur Blank vowed to have a tougher team in the trenches for 2014.